Words vs Actions
by Riveted
Summary: It's funny how the smallest actions can be louder than said words.
1. Prologue

**It's like some uncontrollable force . . . like gravity. You can try to fight it as much as you like. But you're always going to fall. **

Nanoha leaned backward and stared at the sun through an open hand, sunlight bathing her face through the open spaces between her fingers. The grass tickling her back felt warm against her flight instructor uniform, eliciting a contented smile from the young woman. She grinned as she felt the light breeze move her pony tail, a strand of brown hair ticking her cheek. The brunette reached to brush it away but someone took care of it. Blinking in surprise, she gazed upward into the face of a grinning bespeckled man with blonde hair tied back in a familiar green ribbon.

"Yuuno-kun?" The green-eyed man just smiled, nodding his head gently. He walked forward and and sat down on the grass beside Nanoha.

"Mou, Yuuno-kun has to see me with my hair messy," mumbled the brunette, hand now covering her eyes playfully. The man couldn't help but chuckle at the childish action. He reached and gently pulled the hand from the beautiful face.

"Why are you hiding from you students, Nanoha? Did you get tired of blasting them to smithereens?" He swiftly pulled his hand back from a half-hearted slap.

"Mou! You shouldn't listen to Hayate-chan! She's not serious half the time." Pouting sullenly Nanoha crossed her arms across her chest petulantly while lying down on her back.

"Nanoha." The gentle manner that the words were said in made Nanoha stop. A soft hand used to holding large tomes or dusting off delicate artifacts brushed her wrist. The brunette frowned.

"What's wrong, Yuuno-kun?"

The man gave her a lopsided grin. Carelessly he flopped onto his back, releasing her from his grip. Stretching his legs out he smiled, eyes closed in contentment. Curiously Nanoha rolled onto her stomach and examined the suddenly still figure. Blushing she repeatedly poked his cheek.

"Yuu-no-kun!" An emerald eye opened lazily, taking in the red faced woman.

"Ha, you're a tomato Nanoha."

"Mou! J-just tell me what's wrong, Yuuno-kun." A blonde eyebrow arched subtly. He sighed and shrugged.

"It's just . . . I was lonely at the library and I wanted to see you." Worriedly he studied the features of a face he had loved since he was nine. Nanoha looked shocked for a brief second, but hid it quickly with a shy smile.

"Oh . . . I see."

The blonde boy frowned. "You don't want me to see you?" he asked in a resigned tone.

"N-no! Of course not. When Yuuno-kun is here I feel . . . happy." The brunette gazed at her hands in front of her, looking away from the person beside her. To her surprise a warm arm wrapped around her waist. She glanced over in surprise. Yuuno was blushing terribly, his glasses almost fogging up in embarrassment. After a pregnant stillness the girl leaned into the touch and smiled.

"I missed you too, Yuuno-kun."

. . . . . . . .

Fate tiredly opened a blood shot eye, feeling the exhaustion seep into her body. Slowly she blinked and saw only the piles of paperwork, caging her in like an animal. Rubbing her eyes she pulled off her glasses, sitting up in her comfortable desk chair. Strangely, something soft fell from her back. Glancing over her shoulders she saw a simple blue blanket. She fisted the fabric in her hand, a frown pulling her brow into a furrowed line.

"Ah, so the enforcer lives."

Fate glanced to her right and smiled.

"Good morning, Hayate."

"Che, more like 'Good afternoon.'" The short-haired brunette jabbed a finger at the window behind her. "Look at the sky. It's an hour past noon."

Fate's eyes widened in surprise. The sky was a clear bright azure, so different from the pitch black darkness she had fallen asleep in. That was the same sky that Nanoha always loved. _Nanoha . . ._ The blonde winced in pain.

Hayate pretended to not notice the troubled look on the girl's face. It was better to ignore than get the hurt expression on her face. The expression that made Hayate feel like a murderer. Technically she was a murderer, wasn't she? A murderer of love . . .

Straightening from the relaxed position against the wall the short girl ambled toward the door's opening. She paused before fully exiting the room. Hayate peeked at Fate from the corner of her eye.

"Are you alright . . . Fate-chan?" The blonde stopped arranging the papers on her desk and just stared blankly at the girl.

"What?"

The short haired brunette bit her tongue hard.

"Mm, nevermind." Casually she waved a hand as she left. _Nevermind . . ._

. . . . . . .

** When did it start? This unimaginable feeling? My heart started to ache every time I saw you. It was almost too much to bear. But the worst part was when you never took notice. You just ignored it, like my feelings weren't obvious. What did you want from me? Shout my love from the roof tops like some silly movie? Would that have made you happy? Would that have made you mine? **

**. . . . . . **

"Ne, Fate-chan?"

The blonde stiffened. Her fingers twitched, the cold pen in her hand dropping with a clatter on the desk. She swallowed and busied herslef with a stack of papers. They were too tall anyway. It was high time that they were trimmed down a bit.

"Fate-chan."

"Oh . . . what is it, N-nanoha?" Burgundy momentarily caught sight of slate blue. The agonized gleam in Nanoha's eyes made Fate stop trying to pretend that the brunette would go away.

The girl was dressed in her usual white and blue flight instructor uniform. Fate's breath hitched as her eyes examined the gorgeous figure.

"Do you hate me, Fate-chan?" The brunette stepped forward, resting her hands lightly on the desk, avoiding the small paper barriers.

The blonde avoided eye contact.

"Fate-chan . . ."

A cheerful-_fake_-smile replaced the frown. Reaching forward she lightly touched Nanoha's wrist.

"How-How could I hate the person who saved me from my terrible situation as child? Do you think me to be that ungrateful?" The wine red eyes blazed with unsaid emotion. The grip on Nanoha's wrist tightened uncomfortably. The girl ignored the tightness and leaned forward until the their foreheads almost touched.

"Ungrateful? It almost sounds like you owe me something, Fate-chan. Is that what you think of me as? Your savior?" Cold slate blue glared at begrudging burgundy.

"Yes. My savior and nothing more."

Nanoha almost felt tears well in her eyes. Almost.

"Oh, I see. So we're not friends anymore." The brunette drowned in the rich wine colored eyes. She felt like she could stare into the depths of her soul.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

The brunette winced at the sudden venom in Fate's voice.

"When did I ever say that?"

The blonde just coldly stared into the slate blue.

Nanoha growled and pulled away breaking the eye contact. She turned and began to walk away. She couldn't handle Fate anymore. Ever since . . .

"How is Yuuno?" Was that amusement leaking into Fate's tone?

The brunette paused at the steel wrought door. Hesitantly she brought her finger tips to her lips, blushing.

"H-he's-" Nanoha stopped herself and cast a glance over at Fate. And then she left the blonde girl alone, unable to bear the red eyes of lonely regret.

**They are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Like chips of rubies . . . or pools of a rich French wine. Regardless of what color they exactly are, they are full of emotion. The first time I saw them they were full of loneliness. And it was then that I knew what I wanted: I wanted those eyes to shine with happiness. **

_A/N So . . . This takes place before StrikerS. It is a prologue so don't worry if you're incredibly confused. All shall be explained in good time. Was the Yuuno/Nanoha exchange too forced? I'm not used to writing about them like that so please be honest. Please tell me what you think through a review. Thanks. _


	2. Questions

_The color of the sky is pure and unfiltered. The cleanest and most wonderful thing she has ever seen. It's enrapturing, almost like a fire because of the hypnotic effect it has on the girl. She leans forward, her elbows almost dangling over the railing, eyes unfocused._

_"Hm," she murmurs softly as she rests her chin on her arms in thought._

_"Nanoha." Nostalgia. Whenever she thinks of the owner of that voice she thinks of the ocean._

_"Fate-chan," she greets quietly, still not turning around, eyes trained on the horizon where the sky meets the sea. Her shoulder suddenly feels very warm. A hand lightly tightens its grip._

_"Ne, Nanoha, it's cold. Please go inside." It is then that Nanoha turns and stares at the girl . . . no young eighteen year old woman in front of her. The reason why this person reminds her of the sea was Nanoha could drown in Fate's wine colored eyes. They were so deep, so warm, so unfathomably kind and selfless._

_The brunette exhales and watches her breath as it evaporates in mere seconds._

_"It's fine, Fate-chan."_

_"Nanoha, please-"_

_"I'm fine. Really. Just because of that accident . . . Fate-chan I don't need to be protected." The blonde blinks and retracts her hand, reluctantly averting her gaze. The warmth is gone and Nanoha unintentionally shivers._

_"Mm, I see . . ."_

"Oi! Nanoha! OI! DON'T IGNORE ME!" Through half-lidded eyes the brunette peered into the face of a frenzied red-head.

"Did ya hear me? I said wake-up!" Wincing, Nanoha sat straighter, wiped at the corner of her mouth, eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Mou, Vita-chan, what's wrong?" Barely open slate blue gazed at frenzied sapphire.

"Look where you're sleeping ya idiot." Stretching tiredly Nanoha rubbed her eyes, glancing at her surroundings. Instantly she jolted up in surprise. She was on the couch of the TSAB lobby. Widening her eyes she swung her legs onto the ground.

"Why am I here?" she mumbled softly to herself, "I fell asleep on the park bench . . ." Her eyebrows creased in confusion. "Why?"

"Well it doesn't matter! What matters is you look like a mess and you have a class in half an hour. Do ya want me to save your butt again? Is this my job in life, to be Nanoha's gaurdian angel?"

"Well you certainly do look like a cherub," muttered Nanoha sheepishly.

"What?" was the redhead's sharp reply.

"Nothing, nothing." Winking a slate blue eye playfully she stood up and pat Vita's head, mussing the hair intentionally. "Thanks again." In a blur of wrinkled white and blue uniform and auburn hair she was gone.

"Geez, she's like a kid or something," Vita growled tersely. She scratched the back of her head irritably and glanced around in annoyance. She turned to the revolving doors and glared at the person who entered, a mousy looking girl with long brown hair and glasses.

"Sweeheart," the lady murmured in the cajoling voice an adult uses with a toddler, "this isn't a place for children. Did you get lost? The nursery is over-"

"Please." The woman stopped, frowning at the manner the child spoke. It sounded hardened and too annoyed to be a kid.

"I've had a pretty crappy day. And it's not even noon yet, damnit. So please before I hurt you . . . did you just imply that I am a child?" The woman gulped and readjusted her glasses nervously.

"Er . . . honey-"

"I'm not seven DAMNIT! God I need my coffee," Vita screamed, her eyes blazing with unnecessary rage. She stormed past the traumatized officer, roughly shoving her as she walked by. The woman's eyes widened in surprise. She stood there dumbly, eyes wide. It was as if she was waiting for the cameras and handsome man to come out, declaring the whole thing a bizarre joke. All she got was a few curious stares and whispers.

". . . yep she's the new girl. Shario Finieno."

Shario sighed and continued her walk into the enormous building. Today was going to be a long day.

. . . . . . . . .

"Good work everyone. We'll take a little break and then we can continue." The trainees sighed with relief and sprinted toward the rest facilities, eager to escape their infamous instructor. Nanoha smiled, wiping off the slight sheen on her forehead. Behind her she heard a soft patter of applause. Without turning around she smiled, knowing who it was.

"Two times in a whole week. My, Yuuno-kun, you seem to like taking breaks during your job." Her answer was a soft chuckle.

"Think what you will but I was having such an invigorating experience with the artifacts that I thought I would just spread the joy."

"Mou, you're so-" she turned grinning playfully, pausing mid-sentence.

"So?"

"So strange." She laughed softly and crossed her arms over her chest, eyes dancing like blurry headlights at dawn. Those eyes dazzled Yuuno. They made his whole world shift to one thing. Nanoha Takamachi.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"Oh, no, of course not." He blushed and gave her a lopsided grin. To Nanoha, Yuuno reminded her of the grass on a sunny day, lively grounded, and familiar. When he smiled she knew he meant it.

_Her smile is fake, a well created facade that almost no one can see. Except Nanoha. She sees everything. The crack in the mask, the mistitch in the pattern, the missing part. It ruins the perfectness, brings the memory of her smile to shame. And it makes Nanoha angry. No that isn't a strong enough word. Furious._

"Nanoha. What's wrong?"

"Mm?" Nanoha blinked, trying to break from the dark thoughts, escaping from the dark corners of her mind.

"S-sorry. I just wasn't thinking straight. What were you saying Yuuno-kun?" The brunette beams and scratches her cheek in embarrassment. The man in front of her doesn't respond, instead sticking his hands into his pockets. His eyes became pensive in that quick second, darkening and narrowing in thought.

"Nanoha. Where is Fate-san? I haven't seen her around lately." Carefully he watched her reaction.

"Oh." Her face pinched like she had stepped on something sharp and was trying to mask the pain. "She's just been . . . busy."

The blonde boy frowned, not liking Nanoha's reaction. Something was wrong, he didn't like it.

"Nanoha, is-"

"Nanoha-sensei." The brunette turned in response to the student calling her. Quickly she glanced back at Yuuno.

"I'll see you later Yuuno-kun. Thanks for dropping by." She winked and ambled to the students who were beginning to come back out onto the large practice ground. He watched her talk to the young adults, trying to shake the feeling that clung to him like a bad odor. Yuuno waved at Nanoha even though he knew she couldn't see him and walked away. He wasn't clingy, he didn't like to hover. His frown deepened as he stuffed his hands deep into his pant pockets. Nanoha was hiding something. And it wasn't good.

. . . . . .

Fate leaned deep into her chair, allowing a sigh to slip from her lips. She was tired. The blonde wanted to sleep on a bed, not a desk chair. Her situation was ridiculous, almost amusing. Almost.

"Fate-san."

"Hm?" she asked softly, her eyes lightly closed.

"Someone asked for an appointment with you."

Tiredly she sat up, resting her arms against the wood of her desk.

"Is it possible that I could put that on hold?" she inquired in a gentle voice.

"I-I'm sorry Fate-san. This person is very persistent. He says he must speak with you."

"He?" The pronoun perked Fate's interest. "A man is looking for me? What is his name?"

"Yuuno Scrya."

Fate felt her teeth grind against each other.

_"Isn't he gentle with them?" Nanoha whispers softly, pointing to the lanky boy as he painstakingly brushes off the dust from the artifact he holds in his hands. His bespeckled eyes are focused entirely on this object. Fate's eyes are focused entirely on the girl beside her._

_"Yes, very gentle," she murmurs, unconsciously soaking in the brunette's radiant smile, burning it to memory for a later time. Nanoha must have felt the stare because she turns and beams at Fate._

_"But, you're very gentle too, aren't you Fate-chan?" This elicits a blush from Fate and a laugh from Nanoha._

"Ha, that man is persistent, isn't he? Is he in the lobby, Sarah-san?"

"No, he is waiting outside-" Fate stood quickly and walked out the door passing her secretary with a quick thank-you. She wasn't going to keep him any longer. She stepped into the elevator and stared out the glass, gazing at her reflection. The blonde's eyes were angry. They were flecks of blood that stood out amongst the street lights and darkness of the night sky as the elevator zipped down the building. Fate's hand balled into a fist.

. . . . .

Yuuno was hunched over, sitting on the bench, his head in his hands. Answers . . . such elusive things. They were so difficult to get. And when you got them, sometimes you realized that it would have been better if you hadn't heard it in the first place. Shivering the young archaeologist breathed on his hands, warming them for a few seconds before they became cold again.

"Good evening, Yuuno," murmured a soft and husky voice that was akin to smooth velvet.

Slowly he pulled his head from his hands, eyes warily examining the girl he hadn't seen in months.

"It's been awhile, Fate-san."

"Has it?"

"A few months should qualify as awhile, right Fate-san?"

"It's been a few months already? My does the time fly by fast." The burgundy eyes became unfocused as they stared past Yuuno. They hardened imperceptibly.

This time Yuuno didn't shiver because of the cold.

"So Yuuno, what is it you wish to discuss?" The tone was calm. Fate was using her seasoned enforcer voice.

"I w-wanted. . ." stammered Yuuno. He couldn't quite break eye contact from Fate to gather his thoughts. Her eyes were that riveting. Maybe that was why Nanoha said the first things she had seen were Fate's eyes during their fated encounter. They were something almost impossible to look away from.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice almost inaudible.

"Nanoha is upset, Fate-san."

The blonde frowned.

"Why?"

"I-I think it's because of you."

"Really?"

"Er, yes. Yes I do."

"Why?"

"Because-" he stopped mid-sentence as one side of Fate's mouth pulled upward. Fate T. Harlaown was smirking at him. It was a look he had never seen on her face before.

"Fate . . ."

"Yes?"

"Why do you have that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"It's as if . . . you're smug."

Yuuno's teeth chattered when the most chilling laugh bubbled from Fate's lips. The sound was almost a mirror of the laughter of a woman he would rather forget. Precia Testarossa.

"I'm not smug, Yuuno." The wine red orbs narrowed in concentration. "I'm angry."

Yuuno straightened, standing from the bench.

"Excuse me?"

"Nanoha makes me angry. Since you are around her so often it makes me angry just looking at you. This look on my face," she murmured in a deathly calm voice as she gestured to her cheek with a finger, "is when I'm holding in my anger."

"Why on earth would Nanoha make you angry?" choked out Yuuno, disbelief clear in his confused voice.

"Why? Ask _her_ Yuuno. You two seem very close." The slim arms covered by black sleeves crossed over Fate's chest.

"Fate-san, please tell-"

"No." The word was flat and emotionless but it made Yuuno stumble to a halt. _God, why was it so cold out here?_

"If you tell me I could help you Fate-san."

"Do you really want to know?"

_No, I want to go back to Nanoha and forget this conversation ever happened. I want to go and spend all night studying my artifacts and searching through ancient tomes. I want to go have my dinner before I die of starvation._

"Yes."

Fate's gaze instantly sharpened and she wasn't staring at him like she was wearing blurry glasses.

"Nanoha is always so eager to do anything and everything. She trains herself, she works herself, and teaches herself to death. When she had the . . . . a-accident I was almost not surprised. Warnings are never enough. I care for her constantly, endlessly, but something always happens in the end. Right Yuuno? You wake up from the dream and have to live in reality."

"Fate-san, what happened?"

"Day after day it's the same dance, asking her to do this and that. Sometimes you just get tired of it. Helping her find a proper place to sleep for instance. She's so careless . . . At first she accepts it with a smile and then-" Fate swallowed and cut of her nervous and slightly crazed voice. She exhaled calmly and a look of complete serenity filled her features.

"Yuuno, I think I've answered enough. I have paperwork to do, so if you will excuse me. . ."

When Yuuno gripped the collar of her uniform she didn't even flinch. She just smiled like that was exactly what she had wanted him to do all along.

"Damnit Fate, tell me what's wrong. Spit it out. You can't bottle yourself up like this! You'll explode." The blonde grit his teeth and desperately stared at Fate, concern barely escaping his emerald green eyes.

"Ah . . ." The woman tilted her head backward, letting out a sigh that seemed to convey all of her emotions in one sound: happiness, sadness, joy, rage, elation, and disappointment. She smiled.

"Please do not touch me Yuuno. I don't like it when others touch me. Doesn't that always initiate conflict?" The man however didn't budge. He merely grit his teeth.

"Stop this Fate! Why are you acting like this? Like a . . . puerile child! Tell me why, hm? Please. If not me then for Nanoha!" Pleading emerald bore into apathetic burgundy.

Fate cocked her head to the side and the corners of her mouth lifted upward.

"I see . . . well do you want to play with me ferret boy?" Yuuno swallowed and answered with a slow nod. The smile plastered on Fate's face became more genuine.

"If I win . . . tell me why you're acting like this."

The woman's only response was a laugh.

. . . . . .

Hayate slowly sipped at her mug of warm tea, her eyes studying the chessboard in front of her. Its sixty four black and white squares were empty. The chess pieces were long discarded after _that_ day. This board was all that remained. But she couldn't quite bring herself to throw it away. It was a memory, a physical memory. And the funny thing about memories was they couldn't be thrown away. They always lingered, always stayed, always burned.

"Stupid," she muttered softly, her sapphire eyes laughing in the dim lit office. _So so stupid._

_A/N Sorry it's been so long since an update. I should be studying for finals but. . . tee-hee. About the whole Nanofate, Yuunoha shipping thing . . . my story is fueled by characters and plot, it's not a shipfest. Nice ship filled fluff is nice but this is a story with characters with less focus on romance and more focus on interactions. Please review and tell me what you thought. _


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